Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1887-03-19

The fiscal year shall run from January to
January, instead of rom June 10 June as
April the city tax collected between May
I and August l.
SOME RADICAL CHANoEs.
The most sweeping and radical changes In |
the existing order OF things In Lancaster
would b made by the 18th, 10Th, 10th and |
l7th sections Of the bill They provide en-.
tirely nov methods for governing the public |
schoolA for managing the water and lighting |
department, for making and paying for |
sewerage aud for assessing street damages
and benefitA
1t is to these sections OF the bill especially
that attention should be drawn, and upon
them that public discussion should be con.
centrated at the meeting on Tuesday evening.
The 18th article substitutes tor the present
Lancastrian system-a school board of 80
members, evenly divided between the two
parties, one-third retiring every year, and
chosen at large from the city-a board OF two
members from each ward, 70 be chosen en-.
tirely by the dominant party of the ward, to
serve four years one.half retiring every two
years the secretary, If compensated, must
not be chosen from the school board mem.
Ssr'hip the city treasurer % s to be treasurer St
control its accounts 1t is moreover made .
requirement Of the school board to levy and
collect Q special tar ofnot less than one miil,
and not exceeding three mills upon the as.
0c2H0cN NoAuc VI bHc aAoVlC RfOkcIty vi coSu VI
said cities, which shall be paid into the school
treasury, and shall be applied toward the
e1tinguishment Of school bonds and funded
debt In the order Of priority Of the date OF its
issue, and to no other purpose whatever.
This would be . very material innovation
upon the present practice Of our local school
board, and would necessarily heighten the
tax here, which has not exceeded three mills
altogether for many years, and which finds
no present occasion for levying any such
special sinking fund tax. In fact, the incor-
poration of the school article into this inter.
municipal bill Is found odious to the school
interests Of nearly every city In the common.
wealth and even should the bill in other
respects be made acceptable, this article and
all the sections dependent upon 1t would
likely be stricken out
WATER AND LiaHr.
The article creatins* . water and lighting
department provides for distrcting OF the
city into four sections, from each one OF
which there shall be chosen, by joint conven.
ton Of city councils, . commissioner to be
elected on the plan Of minority representa-
ton (; to serve for four years two retiring
Avery two years these commissioners, who
/ sre to serve without pay, are to have entire
| charge Of the water and lighting department
| to select the superintendents mechanics en-
/ ployes and clerks and, besides the pow or
now exercised by councils of elscting the
| water superintendent the comm issicners
are to be invested with those prerogstives
that here have long pertained to the water
1t is also prescribed by this new law tha,
| all the 81 penses OF extending water facilities
| and OF laying new mains or pipes shall be
paid by Q special frontage tax on the proper
departure from the present and past system
In Lancaster, where all the existing mains
have been paid for by general taxation.
SEWERAGE AND STREETS.
Art XVI relates to sewerage which 1t puts
under direction OF the city engineer 1t gives
councils considerable discretion in prescrib.
ing by ordinance what portions Of the cost
estimated on the proportionste expenses and
advantages OF local and Of main sewerage
should be paid by the particular properties
benefited, and what ought to be assessed
upon the lands within an entire sewer dis
trict
Art XVII prescribes q new method OF IS
sessing the damages and benefits, and of pay
ing the expenses OF opening and laying ou
new streets or widening and extending ex
listing thoroughfareA At present Lsncaste
has an elaborate special act for this purpose
| and Q standing commission created by tn
court assesses these damages all that portion
of them being for land taken is now paid b,
| the county, and out Of the city treasury onli
the price OF buildings destroyed. Under tn
new law three freeholders OF the city, viewer
| appointed by the court, would fix the dam
| ages and assess tho benefits, subject to appeal
and the law seems to be open to the construc
| ton that all the damages would hersafte
have to be paid out OF the city treasury.
NEW SYSTEM OF ASSESSMENTS,
Under the new law the present system G
ward assessors elected annually would b
abolished ; aud in their stead the iollowin
Is substituted
"The qualified electors of each Of sal
cities OF the third, fourth aud fifth classes
shall, at the municipal election, elect thre
persons, residents Of the city for at least ii Y
years previous to their election, qualifie
electors thereof, and owners of real estat
therein, ss . bosrd OF city assessors to serv
tor three years from the first Monday @
April succeeding their election. No two Q
the said assessors shall be residents OF th
| same ward, and at the first election held un
der this act one OF the said assessors shall b,
elected tor one year, one for two years, anl
one for three years, and thereafter one asses
sor shall be elected annually for the term O
three years. The member OF the board sery
ing in the last year Of his term shall be presi
dent thereof during such year. Tn
terms OF all assessors for city purposes nov
IN office In any Of said cities shall cease anc
determine upon the election aud qualification
| ofthe first board OF assessors chosen unde
| this act."
Any vacancy happening in the board shal
be filled by councils The board shall, ever,
third year, have authority to appoint assist
i ous onoooSOAsS uOt cACoculuk On6 from 60c
ward, TO serve not exceeding sixty days, re
movable at the pleasure OF the board. Tn
per diem compensation of the members G
the board and OF the assistant assessors shal
be fixed by ordinance Of councilA Provision
u made for triennial assessment OF all cit
property, which II to be "full market value
just and equl"; with power to modify til
same In the intervening years, a. changes
condition or ownership may require or jui
tny.
Delinquent taxes are to be collected b.
collectors appointed by the city treasurer.
Elaborate provision is made for entering
enforcing, reviving and collecting every soI
OF liens for city taxes, frontage assessmenu
So
Councils are empowered 10 establish syl
TENS OF land registry, typographical surveys
| redemption OF indebtedness and other fes
lures OF municipal administration an,
while these are not made mandatory tn
forms OF them are set forth with much detail
Upon the whole, therefore, 1t will be seel
that this act substitutes In large measure TO
| OF procedure, 70 which our city In accustomed
new and different methods and regulations
II proposes to establish by legislative direC
ton uniform system for nearly all the cite
OF the commonwealth to prescribe for Ian
caster many features which its councils hav
refused 70 accept and for which its peOpl
have never asked and 1t u certainly NEE
and proper the citizens and tax payers Of Ian
caster should assemble, to discuss and I,
| listen TO the OF position OF Q measure which
viii affect them 10 largely In their municips
| affairs and which, II once passed, is fastened
upon them almost irrevOcably; for no specia